Loom for weaving pile fabrics.



332 PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907. A. G. GOWELL.

LOOM FOB. WBAVING PILE FABRICS.

AYPLIOATION FILED DBO. 2B- 1906.

2. SHEETS-EH32! 1.

No. 865,332. PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907. A. G. GOWELL.

LOOM FOR WBAVING PILB FABRIGS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28. 1905..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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F/LQJ Fi bi' ALBERT GEORGE OOWELL, OF KIDDERMINSTER, ENGLAND.

LOOM FOR WEAVING PILE FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application file December 28,1906. Serial No. 849,847.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT GEORGE COWELL, a sub- .ject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Kidder minster, in the county of Worcester,England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Looms for WeavingPile Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has for its object an improved apparatus for use inweaving pile fabrics whereby a fabric is produced which more nearlyresembles hand tied or knotted Turkey and other similar carpets than isthe case with chenille fabrics made in the ordinary way.

I will describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 represents a length or strip of chenille fur or weft woven inthe ordinary manner. Fig. 2 represents a similar strip of chenille furlying on the ground warps of the carpet loom with the separate pileyarns over the spaces between the warp threads. Fig. 3 rep resents asection of a three shot fabric woven as herein described. Fig. 4 is anelevation of means for keeping the strip of chenille fur flat and forapplying suitable tension thereto. Fig. 5 is a face view and Fig. (5 anend view of the double comb and Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are sectional viewsrepresenting different steps in the manufacture of the pile fabrics.

In carrying my invention into effect two distinct looms are employed thefirst (or weft loom) for weaving the pile threads, and the second (orsetting loom) for inserting and binding the pile threads into thefabric. The first loom is similar in construction to those ordinarilyused for weaving chenille weft or fur and the reading in of the pilethreads (or the changing of the colors in accordance with the ruleddesign paper) is effected in a similar manner to that employed on Suchlooms, but I preferably regulate the taking-up mechanism of the loorn sothat the number of pile threads (or shots of weft yarn) in a givenlength of weft cloth corresponds exactly with the dents in the slay usedin the second or setting loom. Also, after each series of strips,representing one row or line in the design paper, I weave a shortdroplea or strip of cloth about inch in length, of closer texture thanthe rest of the weft cloth.

After the required number of repeats of the pattern has been woven fromthe design paper in the usual manner, the weft cloth thus formed is cutas heretofore, by means of a cutting machine, into a number of strips ofequal depth, corresponding with the number of repeats of the pattern,but instead of turning up such strips into a shaped chenille or fur, ashas generally heretofore been done, I leave them flat after cutting, ashas also been proposed. The strips are then reeled separately inrepeats, on to bobbins or swifts.

Fig. 1 represents a length or strip of chenille fur or weft woven asabove described and cut into lengths;

a a represent the warp threads of the fabric which latter is as statedcut up into lengths to form the chenille fur or weft, b is the weft yarnwhich in the second loom forms the pile, and c is the droplea or shortstrip of closely woven cloth.

Fig. 2 represents such a strip of chenille fur as that shown in Fig. 1lying on the ground warps d of the carpet loom and showing the separateweft or pile yarns over the spaces between the warp threads (I ready forpressing through; 0 represents the fell of the cloth or carpet.

The second, or setting loom, contains two or more ground warps, and aline catcher or binder warp, the threads of which, in the case of apower loom, may be passed through needles attached to a needle bar andneedle frame above the loom, as usual in carpet weavinglooms, and thereed may have the dents open at the top, to allow the warp threads torise above it when required. In the case of a hand loom, the catcherwarp threads may be drawn through a heald in the usual manner but ineither case the spaces between the dents in the slay are left only justwide enough to allow the warp threads to pass readily through the slay.

Fig. 3 represents a section of a three shot fabric or carpet woven asabout to be described and in which (I (Z are the ground warps, f thecatcher warp, b the pile and g the shoots of weft.

The following is a description of the process of weaving a three shotfabric on this principle, containing two ground warps d which may bewound on to one beam, the alternate ends being drawn through twoseparate healds, and a catcher warp f wound on to another beam, the endsbeing either drawn through needles on a needle bar (as described above)or through the eyes of a third heald. The ground warps d are firstraised until they are all on a level and in a horizontal position. Thecatcher warp f is raised to a convenient height above the ground warpsd.

In a suitable position at the side of the loom, and as near asconvenient to the selvage of the proposed cloth, as represented at Fig.f, a spindle h is provided parallel to the warp threads, on whichspindle a bobbin t containing a strip 7c of pile weft (previouslydescribed) is placed, and free to revolve Close up to the selvage of theproposed cloth a pair of friction rollers j is provided, between whichthe strip is of pile weft is passed as it comes from the bobbin. Theserollers j serve the purpose of keeping the strips k of pile weft flat,and also of exerting the necessary tension on the pile weft as it isdrawn through the shed.

When the reed is back, at a suitable distance from the fell eof thecloth, one half of the ground warp d is raised, and the other halfdepressed, the catcher warp f still remaining raised entirely above boththe ground warps d, a shot 9 of filling weft is thrown across, by ashuttle or other means, between the two ground warps, which are thenbrought to the same horizontal level and the shot of filling weft ispartially beaten up by the slay, so that it remains a short distancefrom the fell of the cloth, and exactly in line with the frictionrollers j between which the strip is of pile weft passes. A portion ofthe pile weft (corresponding to the width of the cloth to be woven) isthen drawn through the shed over both the ground warps d and under thecatcher or binder warp f and placed in position by the weaver andtensioned in such a manner that the central line of the pile weftexactly coincides with the filling weft already mentioned and that thepile threads lie over the spaces between the ground warp threads. Theextreme ends of the pile weft are placed in position so that the pilethreads exactly correspond with the cord or line in the design paperrepresented by this section of pile weft.

The strip of pile weft may be drawn across the shed by any suitablemeans, for example in the case of a hand loom by a stick with clipattached, or in the case of a power loom by a horizontal arm, fittedwith a clip, and actuated to move laterally across the loom (on asimilar sytem to that ordinarily employed for chenille setting looms),the droplea c at end of strip of pile weft being first fixed in theclip, and the pile weft being drawn across thereby. While in thisposition the free ends of the pile threads according to the presentinvention are forced downwards between the ground warp threads by adouble comb preferably of the following construction and operation asrepresented at Figs. 5 to 9. The teeth Z of this double comb project atthe bottom to an equal distance on each side of the center of the pileweft, and are set at an angle to one another so that they are a certaindistance apart at the bottom (such distance being determined by thelength. of the pile threads 11) and gradually approach one another atthe top, where they are fixed on each side of a thin metal plate ;mwhich is caused to rise and fall in a vertical plane by suitableoverhead mechanism as will be well understood. The teeth Z of this combare made to correspond exactly with the dents in the reed, and the combis so placed that, when actuated to descend vertically in order to pushthe pile threads b downwards through the warp d, the teeth Z of the combpass readily through the spaces between the warp threads d. The comb ismade to descend until the point where its teeth Z join at the top justtouches the central line of the pile weft on the top of the filling weft9 thereby doubling the pile threads round said filling weft 9 until theends are parallel. The catcher warp f is also made to descend at thesame time until its threads rest on the back of the pile weft over thefilling weft g. The comb is then raised.

Fig. 7 represents a strip of pile weft I) laid on the ground warp andthe comb Z some distance above said weft.

Fig. 8 shows the comb Z in position touching the pile weft b and readyfor pressing down the pile ends between the ground warps d.

Fig. 9 shows the comb Z pressed down between the ground warps cZ therebywrapping the pile ends round the filling weft g. This figure also showsthe second shot of filling weft g beaten up against the comb Z by thereed n as described below.

To prevent the ends of the pile threads from springing up after the combrises, I employ a clip extending across the loom below the ground warps,and at right angles to them, and so placed when the comb descends thatthe pile threads b are forced between the jaws of the clip, which thenclose on the pile threads. The reed n, see Fig. 9, is then moved forwardto beat up the pile threads to the fell of the cloth, and the clip is soactuated that it follows the pile threads the requisite distance towardsthe fell of the cloth and is at the proper time dropped out of the wayof the reed it, after having first released the pile threads.

After the pile threads I) are beaten up, reed n is moved back and thecatcher warp descends to its full distance, that is sufficiently toallow another shot of filling weft g to be passed over it and beaten upby the reed. I may however dispense with the clip, and proceed in thefollowing manner :-I arrange for the comb to be raised and depressed bysliding it up and down in grooves in a frame fitted on each side of thecloth. This frame is pivoted on a bar above the loom, in such a mannerthat when at rest the grooves are vertical; but the frame may be made tooscillate slightly forward as described below. While the comb is stillpressed down over the pile threads I) I cause the catcher warp f todescend to its lowest position, and I raise one of the ground warps d. Ovcr the catcher warpf and one of the ground warps d and under the otherground warp d I insert the second shot of filling weft g, which is thenbeaten up close to the comb by the reed n, the comb further movingslightly with the reed towards the fell of the cloth to such a positionthat when the comb is raised the free ends of the pile threads I) areprevented from rising, on the one side by the fell of the cloth, and onthe other side by the second shot of filling weft g.

After the comb is raised, the ground warps d reverse their positions,and a third shot of filling weft g is put in, over one of the groundwarps d and the catcher warp f, and under the other ground warp d and isbeaten up by the reed.

The above describes the process of weaving a three shot fabric, but acloth may be made with either two, three, or four shots of filling vweftto each row of pile threads, and the treading of the healds varied asdesired.

What I claim is 1. In a loom for weaving pile fabrics, a double combconstructed and operating as herein described, to force the pile ends ofthe flat strip of pile weft downwards between the ground warps,

2. In a loom for weaving pile fabrics by means of strips of flatchenille, a double comb the teeth of which project at the bottom and areset at an angle to each other, substantially as herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

ALBERT GEORGE COWELL.

Witnesses EDWIN LLOYD, SAMUEL WANKLIN.

